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To warm us up going into February which is Women in Horror Month, I got to chat with author Alathia Paris Morgan. I picked up her book Infected Waters: A Titanic Disasterafter I saw it on twitter and it was recommended in a Facebook group I belong to. Not only was it a great read, but it explained a question about history that has always bugged the heck out of me: how did no one see the giant iceberg that sank the Titanic? Well, Ms. Morgan has given me the most plausible explanation yet, it was zombies of course!

Knowing the story of the Titanic, tension was already high before I began to read, but then the author twists the screws and I could not stop reading, I had to find out what happened. I even found myself googling facts about the Titanic to try and guess if my favorite characters would have a chance at survival! Zombie outbreaks are pretty intense when you can run away, but try that on a ship at sea and see how far you go and how long you survive! Now I’m questioning a variety of other historic disasters and I think I’ll blame zombies for a vast majority of them.

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Alathia, I am so excited to have found your work! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Well, I’m an avid reader. I have about 4k books and have always dabbled in writing. With three children and a hubby my life got crazy busy. I started Avon as I finished college and it was a great way to be flexible with kids and make money for us. Then some unexpected life changes happened and I realized that life was short, I couldn’t wait to become a writer when I retired. I had stories that needed to be told now. So I started during a NaNoWriMo camp in April of ’14 and I finished it after the July camp. Since then I’ve been writing and learning a lot and hope to continue writing because I keep getting more ideas with every story that actually gets written.

Life has a way with us, doesn’t it? What led you to pursue writing?

I had written some in high school, but the need to write wasn’t there. Now, I have to write because the voices in my head need to find a way out onto the page. Some stories jump to the front wanting urgent attention while others wait quietly until it’s their turn. So this is why I’m a writer because the world so obviously needs one. (Wink Wink) 😉

Well, I for one certainly enjoyed your story and look forward to reading all the others. What genres do you write in?

So, the two genres I write in are zombies and mysteries. I hope to branch out as time goes on into other areas.

Two of my favorite genres! What about the zombie genre intrigues you the most?

While the zombie thing has been done a few times, I wanted to give zombies a new twist. Put some reality into the end of the world, where are all the children? What happened to the military? Why are there no babies born? Or are there?

Sounds intriguing!

Your book “Infected Waters: A Titanic Disaster” is brilliant! Where did you get the idea for the story?

My daughter loves Titanic and she said, “Mom wouldn’t it be fun if there were zombies on the Titanic?” So I asked if I could use her idea and it took about six months to get it right. Along with watching the movie for atmosphere while writing, I’m good with not watching the movie for a few years.

I could see your story being made into a movie. Do you hear that Netflix or SyFy? Zombies. Titanic. Need I say more?

I keep a running tally of things that scare people so I have ideas on how to spook readers. What kinds of things scare you?

Unlocked doors. Unexplained noises.

Thank you! Filed away.

What’s next for you?

I am working the 3rd book in my Nova Ladies Adventures for Nano and I have the 2nd book in the Against Zombies series featuring the Military.